Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1887-06-23
The PANAMA CANAL TIASCO.
Lieutenant Rogers Report On II. d.
Lesseps's Great Enterprise.


Lesseps's Great Enterprise.
New York Engineering and Mining Journal
Lieutenant Charles G. Rogers was
recently assigned by the Navy De.
partment to accompany NJ. Charles de
Lesseps, Vice President of the Canal
Company, on his tour to inspect the
works and arrange with the contract.
ors for the future progress of the on.
terprise.
The trip commenced March 10th
and lasted II days. During that time
Lieutenant Rogers saw every foot OF
the canal, talked with the contractors
on the works, with the laborers, and
both with those people who were On.
thusiasts on the canals prospects and
with those who were opposed to it
and little sanguine of its ultimate sue.
cess. In cases where he doubted the
information given him, he went prac.
tically to work ON his own account to
verify the figures and estimates stated.
The report will cover the work on the
canal from the close of 1886 and the
yeal of 1886, and full and detailed
account of the present organization,
administration, financial condition,
and many other interesting points
connected with the enterprise.
A New Y ork Herald reporter inter
viewed Lieutenant Rogers, and gives
the following information concerning
the work:
Estimates of the total excavations
necessary to complete the canal are
now placed at los, 100000 cubic me.
ters. Out of this up to date the
amount completed is 81 100000 cubic
meters, leaving 73,l7O,OOO cubic me.
ters to be excavated. Up to the END
of 1885, 1S,417,3l8 cubic meters had
been excavated; and during 1885,
11,727,OO0 cubic meters were added
To my mind there will be no increase
OH the present output.
"The difficulty of the Culebrs
mountain has not yet been solved
During my stay on the Isthmus
tried to get NJ. Charles de Lesseps tc
give me some idea of the time i,
would take to completes the canal. He
was rather guarded in his reply, say
ing: in two years the canal will be
completed from Colon to Kilomete,
Forty-four, and from La Boca to Pa
raiso. AS to the Culebra, l leave you
to form your own conclusions. 1t i.
a great and difficult work
"The serious question in the Guile
bra Is how to avoid the accumulation
of sediment and the vast landslide.
which it is subject to. Last year rs,
900 cubic meters of earth wers
washed away or fell into the bed O.
the canal. Worse than all this is tn,
fact that up to the present time thu
mountain on the left side of the Gu
is found to be moving bodily towart
the axis of the canal at an annua
rate of from IL to Is inches owinl
10 the cutting away of Its lower sup
nnc.::.
"In such an uncertain climate an;
such soil as that of the Is,hmus
there can be no certainty as to an,
estimated work being accomplished
in any given time. Were all TIL
money necessary for the completion
of the canal subscribed to-day, ant
were both men and machines WORKED
to their utmost, it would require sever
years to finish the work. The con
tractors have all engaged to complet'
their work in 1889, but there is n,
penalty attached to their failure 81
to do"
Lieutenant Rogers estimates tota
cost, without accidents, Of $375,OOO,
900. And this would require the com
pany to raise 81 81, 100000 in addition
to the $l83,0OO,OOO already paid in
and of which only $45,O0O,0OO re
mains unexpended. To raise thi
amount would probably bring tn
company's obligations up to $500,
100000, and possibly to $9O0,OOO,OOC
There is no probability that the com
pany can ever raise the amount t
complete the canal.
1t is now we'll, though not publicly
known that the diamond drill explors
| tons in the Culebra cut, found that
bed of quicksand overlies the roc
throughout the cut, and will be foun
at about the level of the canal. N
engineer has yet been found ras
enough to estimate the time necessar
to excavate the canal through
mountain which rests on a bed {
quicksand. This fact is, of cours,
we'll known to M. De Lesseps.
The work of controlling the Chagre
river is still undone.
Every month makes more and nor
apparent that the enterprise, SO fs
as the French company is concerned
will be dismal and utter failure, an
we cannot but believe that M. Ferd
nand de Lesseps, able engineer as h
is, knows, and has long known PEI
fectly we'll, that the completion of tn